Tangled love
by Amazingly awesome person
Summary: It was complicated. Can you love more than one cat? Are you being disloyal to your first love when you fall for another?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first warrior's one-shot. I've been meaning to write one, but couldn't come up with anything. But I was feeling torn between my ****favourite foods and came up with this. Hope you like it!**

"What is wrong, Cloudtail?" Lostface purred. She was uneasy out in the forest, but was determined not to let it show to her friend. He, on the other hand, had no problem showing his own uneasiness, kneading the ground, fluffing out his fur and avoiding Lostface's gaze.

"Cloudtail! It's cold and wet, I want to go!" She said, annoyance beginning to prick at her paws.

"I love you!" Cloudtail blurted out. "Will you be my mate?"

Lostface, though it should have been obvious, nearly fell over in shock. Sure he called her beautiful, and never left her side, but she had always assumed it was because he felt sorry for her. He was her very best friend, and she could always find comfort in the white warrior's words. Half of her wanted to say yes as well, because she knew that he would always stay beside her, and because she loved him as well. But what caused her uncertainty was her dead friend, Swiftpaw. She had only ever thought of him as a friend until he died. The way he had fought for her to the death had sparked a deep emotion within her, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was in love with the dead apprentice.

"I-I-" She began, unsure what to say. She wished there was a way the she could be split in half, so she could say yes and no. The scarred part of her face and her namesake would always make her remember how she would be rotting underground if it weren't for Swiftpaw's bravery. But it would also remind her of how Cloudtail had been beside her every step of the way until she could finally step out into the forest. Cloudtail's eyes began to widen in pain as the silence continued.

It felt like the air was pressing down on her, attempting to pin her to the ground, and she did the only thing she knew she could in a situation like this. Run. Cloudtail's hurt blue eyes disappeared as she raced away. Thunder struck above her and rain began to pour, but she didn't care. Digging her claws into the ground, she forced herself to go faster.

With her only eye closed, she didn't see the orange pelt until she had crashed into it and collapsed onto the ground.

"Lostface?" She lay still for a moment, ignoring her deputy's voice. There was silence, and Lostface reveled in it, the simple feeling of the cold ground against her fur. Then she forced herself up, suddenly feeling exhaustion drag at her limbs.

"What's wrong, Lostface?" Fireheart asked. For a moment she was silent, but then she felt the sudden need to tell someone how she felt.

"Cloudtail told me how he felt. He said he loved me." She said. Firestar narrowed his eyes curiously.

"And that's a bad thing?" He asked, puzzled. Lostface sighed, but continued.

"I don't know. I think I love him too. But then I remember Swiftpaw, and how he fought for me too, and…" She trailed away sadly. She couldn't deny the way Cloudtail was always there for her, how she could always count on him, the weird feeling in her belly whenever she saw him. But the other part of her kept showing her the final image of Swiftpaw's life, his eyes glaring and his jaws parted in a fierce snarl as he fought like a LionClan cat, for his life…. And for hers.

"And you love him too." Fireheart finished. Lostface nodded sadly.

"I think so… I'm not really sure of anything." She said, shaking her head. Fireheart scented the air before settling down beside Lostface.

"I'm going to tell you something I've never ever told anyone one before." Lostface looked up in surprise, but curiosity pricked at her paws.

"I love Sandstorm with all my heart. But it wasn't always that way." Fireheart began. Lostface pricked her ears, her curiosity mounting.

"Sandstorm is a fiery she cat," He said, his eyes fond. "My fiery furball. She should have had the name Firepaw, not me. But she was Sandpaw. And she hated me."

"She hated you?" Lostface asked disbelievingly. Fireheart nodded.

"I think she had a thing for Dustpelt." Fireheart informed her.

"Dustpelt?" Through all her misery, Lostface found herself fighting back laughter.

"Yes, Dustpelt. Well, he was Dustpaw, then. And she was Sandpaw. And I was Firepaw. And I was in love with the medicine cat, Spottedleaf." He said.

"Spottedleaf?" Lostface asked, shocked. Spottedleaf had died at the paws of a ShadowClan warrior, and according to her mother, Cinderpelt and Brackenfur had been stolen at the same time by ShadowClan. She couldn't remember the medicine cat, but Spottedleaf had been very beautiful and young. And for Fireheart to have loved her was breaking the warrior code.

"And then what happened?" Lostface asked. She couldn't help feeling like a kit listening to an interesting story from an elder. Fireheart shook his head sadly as he relived memories.

"I loved her. Although, more occurred between us in my dreams after her death then when she was alive." Fireheart mewed bitterly. Lostface was finding the story more and more disbelieving.

"Anyway, I was devastated when she died. At first we blamed Yellowfang, but it turns out it was the ShadowClan warrior, Clawface. I nearly killed him in battle once. We drove out ShadowClan and I was made a warrior, along with Graystripe. We were sent on a mission, to retrieve WindClan, and took a shortcut through RiverClan territory. At the time, they were very hostile towards us. They found us in their territory and attacked. We would have died if a patrol hadn't come. Sandpaw was among them." Fireheart mewed. "The battle was near the gorge, and I saw Sandpaw fighting dangerously close to the edge, and pushed her away. She was mad at first, thinking I was trying to fight her battles."

"But then what?" Lostface asked. She pushed her problems with Cloudtail to the back of her mind.

"But then, a RiverClan warrior fell off the edge and died. That was the turning point in Sandstorm's and my relationship. She no longer taunted me for my kittypet origins. She felt uneasy around me. I suppose that was around the time she started to fall for me. And over time, I grew to love her as well." He said.

"But you loved Spottedleaf!" Lostface blurted out. Fireheart nodded.

"I did. I couldn't help but feel I was betraying her. I still do. But Spottedleaf was dead, ad Sandstorm's alive. I couldn't ignore the weird feelings I got when I was around her. It was right before the battle with the dogs that I realised I loved her. And that's when we confessed our feelings. So that's my advice to you. If you love Cloudtail, then accept it. Swiftpaw is in StarClan, and you won't see him (hopefully) for a long time to come." Fireheart finished. Lostface nodded. She guessed Fireheart was right, He had, after all, experienced the same things as her.

"Thank you Fireheart. Good luck on your leadership ceremony. I have to find Cloudtail." She said, waving her tail in good-bye as she raced back the way she had come. She knew what she had to do now.

She crashed through the undergrowth, faster then ever before – her timid nature was gone now, thanks to Cloudtail. As she burst into camp, she saw him by the fresh-kill pile, staring dully ahead.

"Cloudtail?" Lostface asked, coming up to him. He turned to face her and she was shocked by the depth of misery in them.

"What?" He asked bitterly. "Come to turn me down properly?"

"No. And I'm sorry. I wasn't sure what to say. But now I am. I love you too, and of course I'll be your mate!" She answered happily. Cloudtail jumped up, shock in his blue eyes.

"Really? What made you change your mind?" He asked. Lostface smiled.

"Some advice from a… good friend. I love you, now and forever, Cloudtail."

**Flames ****will not be appreciated. Concrit welcome. And if you guys like it, I'll make it into a collection of one-shots involving love triangles. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here. I'm glad you guys liked the last one. This one is suckish, so I'm sorry. It's the beginning of chapter 29 in Firestar's quest, when Spottedleaf comes with Burdock root to save Patchfoot. It's from Sandstorm's point of view, and some bits are copied directly from the book itself. It didn't quite come out as well as I'd hoped, but it's a SpottedxFirexSand.**

"How is Patchfoot?" Firestar asked, the moonlight turning his flame-coloured fur silver. Sandstorm looked up. She had never felt so utterly defeated. Was this how medicine cats felt when their clanmates died around them? Did they feel as hopeless as she did? She had tried everything Cinderpelt had taught her, but it was useless. The warrior's condition continued worsening. She looked at Firestar, feeling sorrow and grief for the dying warrior.

"He's getting worse." She said, staring down at the black and white warrior. "I don't know what to do! The marigold isn't working!" She wailed slumping down beside Patchfoot.

"It's ok. You're doing best. No one could ask for more. I know Patchfoot would understand." Firestar said, walking up to her and pressing against her. Sandstorm sighed and buried her muzzle into his fur. His warmth comforted her as she breathed in his familiar, comforting scent. She pulled away, and looked deeply into Firestar's green gaze, finding all the love she could ever need there. A thought nagged at the back of her mind, but she pushed it away.

"It's a pretty poor best if Patchfoot dies." She said sadly. For a moment Firestar looked as if he wanted to argue, but he stayed silent, merely pressing against her again. She sighed contentedly. Beside Firestar it was easy to forget how far away they were from home, how warriors were dying around her and how she couldn't do anything about it. The thought came back, stronger then before. Had Firestar looked at someone else like this? Had he pressed against another she-cat to comfort her? Had he loved _her_ more then he loved Sandstorm? Sandstorm thought back to when they were apprentices, to when she would have flayed him for a few mouse tails. It seemed so far away now, but she could remember. She had seen him when he had stared at Spottedleaf, love and admiration in his eyes as he watched the beautiful medicine cat. When she fell for him, Sandstorm always drew comfort from the fact that Spottedleaf was a medicine cat, that she was dead. Firestar obviously had to love her more then Spottedleaf. But every now and then, the thought would come back. That he didn't love Sandstorm more than Spottedleaf. That Sandstorm would always be second best to him. Patchfoot twitched and he opened his eyes, bright with pain. Sandstorm laid the tip of her tail on the warriors head comfortingly, pushing her worries about Firestar's mixed emotions to the back of her head.

"What can I do?" She asked, despairingly. Firestar licked her ear comfortingly and for a moment she forgot herself. Suddenly a sweet scent filled her nostrils – a scent she had learned to hate over time. _Please let this be a nightmare _she prayed. But she could here the footsteps behind her. She had never felt this kind of hatred towards the medicine cat when she was alive. But gradually, over time, the niggling thought that Firestar loved Spottedleaf caused her to hate any memories she had of the scent.

"Spottedleaf?" Firestar asked, shock evident in his voice. Sandstorm cursed under her breath. They both turned around slowly, and sure enough, there was the pale, frosty outline of the tortoiseshell. The medicine cat set down a mouthful of sharp scented herbs and padded up to the three cats. She settled herself down beside Patchfoot, in between Firestar and Sandstorm. Surely Sandstorm was dreaming, because of all her jealousy towards the medicine cat?

"Spottedleaf!" Sandstorm said in shock.

"Spottedleaf? How…?" Firestar said. If there had been fresh-kill in his mouth, he would have choked on it. Spottedleaf silenced Firestar by pressing her nose gently against his. Sandstorm forced the bristling fur on her shoulders to lie flat as jealousy pounded through her.

"I've come because you both need me." She gestured her spotted tail to the pile of herbs. "Burdock root is best for rat bites." She informed Sandstorm. The glossy green leaves of them rustled as Spottedleaf settled them at Sandstorm's paws. Sandstorm stared at them uncertainly.

"Will they help Patchfoot?" She asked. She sniffed the roots suspiciously. Spottedleaf nodded.

"I'll chew the roots, and you clean the marigold from his wound," Spottedleaf said. Deciding that she would just play along with the weird dream, Sandstorm licked the marigold from the wound obediently. Firestar watched Spottedleaf apply the Burdock root to Patchfoot's wound, his expression blank. She demonstrated how to use it to Sandstorm. Patchfoot stirred, but Spottedleaf murmured to him comfortingly.

"Sleep now. All will be well; I promise." She whispered. Patchfoot sighed, sinking into a deeper sleep. Sandstorm blinked. "Will he really get better now?" She asked, anxiety heavy in her belly. Spottedleaf nodded, her eyes warm. Sandstorm felt her dislike for the she-cat melting. She had helped Patchfoot, after all. She couldn't be that bad.

"Thank you, Spottedleaf. I didn't know you could come this far to help us." Firestar mewed warmly. He brushed pelt against her tortoiseshell fur. Sandstorm felt her dislike for the she-cat build up again, and felt her fur bristle.

"You've seen her before?" Sandstorm asked quietly. Hurt and anger burned beneath her pelt. The traitorous furball! But she knew she couldn't be mad with Firestar. She took a deep breath.

"Spottedleaf visits me in dreams – she helps me." Firestar explained.

"And you've never told me?" Sandstorm asked. Confusion was welling up inside her. She hated Firestar- but at the same time, she loved him with all her heart. Firestar was silent, as Sandstorm battled with her emotions. Rage, misery, pain, jealousy, confusion, love. It was all too much. Before Firestar could reply, Spottedleaf spoke up.

"Peace, dear one," She murmured. Something about her warm voice made Sandstorm feel like a kit again, like she was being soothed by a loving mother. "Firestar loves you." She whispered. Sandstorm felt all her mixed emotions and thoughts whirl around inside her, and she didn't know which to choose.

"But he loves you more." She choked out, a small part of her arguing feebly. Spottedleaf hesitated, but she gazed warmly at Sandstorm, nevertheless.

"That isn't true. Firestar and I never discovered what we could have been. I was alive for such a short time after he joined ThunderClan – even then, I am and always will be a medicine cat, we would never have been mates. My role as a medicine cats comes before any cat that walks the forest, even Firestar." Spottedleaf explained. Patchfoot stirred in his sleep, but Sandstorm was too choked with emotions to take notice of him. She looked at Spottedleaf in the eyes, searching for a trace of a lie. But she could only see honesty and sadness in the she-cats eyes.

"Is it really true?" Sandstorm felt her jealousy began to die down. She also felt a strange sort of relief. No longer will the love between Spottedleaf and Firestar haunt her whenever she was around Firestar, sharing tongues with him.

"Of course it is." Spottedleaf purred.

""I love _you_, Sandstorm." Firestar broke in. Sandstorm stared at him, surprised. "You'll never be second-best to me. My love for you belongs here and now, in the life we share – and it will last for all the moons to come." He paused, and his green eyes bore in Sandstorm's own. "I promise." He meowed solemnly, his love for Sandstorm shining in his eyes. Sandstorm found that she was longing to believe him, and was silent for a moment, pondering all the she had just heard. She breathed, her confused emotions settling. She knew exactly what to feel now, and what to say. She loved Firestar with all her heart.

"Thank you, Spottedleaf. I've never stopped thinking about how you and Firestar seemed to belong together when he first came to the forest. But I understand now." She mewed, feeling peaceful.

"I thought you always knew how I felt about you!" Fireheart exclaimed, bewilderment in his tone. Sandstorm sighed exasperatedly, but she couldn't help being fond. He was _her_ dense furball.

"Firestar, you can be so _dense_."

**There. Next is NightxCrowxLeaf.**


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